{"id":16683,"date":"2024-08-31T08:46:28","date_gmt":"2024-08-31T12:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homegardenjoy.com\/site\/?p=16683"},"modified":"2024-09-02T10:05:56","modified_gmt":"2024-09-02T14:05:56","slug":"fig-salad-recipe-figs-and-cantaloupe-with-basil-dressing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homegardenjoy.com\/site\/2024\/08\/fig-salad-recipe-figs-and-cantaloupe-with-basil-dressing.html","title":{"rendered":"Fig Salad Recipe: Figs and Cantaloupe with Basil Dressing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I promised to share this French fig salad recipe with you. This recipe originally came from a cookbook by Georgeanne Brennan called Savoring France: Recipes and Reflections on French Cooking.<\/a> I updated the recipe to remove the dairy and fat. The result is a flavorful, lower calorie dessert that sparkles with the essence of the late summer garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use Fresh Fruit for the Fig Salad Recipe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The entire salad is composed of fresh figs and cubes of cantaloupe. You can purchase figs and cantaloupe at the farmer’s market or supermarket. But what about growing your own? I’ve covered both how to grow cantaloupe<\/a> and how to grow figs in Virginia<\/a> on Home Garden Joy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I planted three Chicago Hardy variety fig trees in my zone 7B backyard (Piedmont region of Central Virginia) and they are flourishing without any special care. We do fence them to prevent deer from eating them. The deer lately have been both bold and voracious, ignoring sounds like the lawn mower or even our German shepherd dog when he comes charging out of the house for his walks. To save the fruit, we fence the trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hesitated to grow figs because in my childhood neighborhood near Queens, New York, everyone who grew a fig tree in their front yard covered it up with burlap every winter. These mummified trees looked like a lot of work. Today, I know that the wrapping is for varieties that need winter protection. Many of the trees I saw were growing in the yards of Italian families. They planted varieties they knew from their youth (and boy, what amazing figs!). But you don’t need to plant the same trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicago Hardy figs are hardy to 10 degrees F and grow in zones 6 and higher. So if you are in Zones 6-10, go for it! Plant a fig tree!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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French Fig and Cantaloupe Salad Recipe with Lemon Basil Dressing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To make the fig salad recipe, you will need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n